The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1887-08-03
SEA HOUNDS.
A PREDATORY FISH WHICH
TRAVELS IN PACKS.
The Dog Fish and Its Peculiarities-
The Bane of Fishermen
Their Ferocity-The Dog
Fish Industry, Etc.

in their habits and customs, writes &. F.
Holder in Youths Companion. Thus the
birds, from the robin to the eagle, pre-
sent perfect graduation from forms of
| mild and gentle disposition to those OF
fierce and predatory natures. Turning
| to the ocean, we find that this is equally
true of the fishes.
The mullet is the robin, and the saw
age shark the eagle, hawk, or vulture.
So in all groups of animals the vario,!s
families arc adapted for different paths
| in life, and some of the comparisons that
may be drawn are most interesting and
instructive.
Among the land animals, the dogs and
certain members of the cat tribe, as the
hunting leopard, or cheetah, arc famous
for their hunting proclivities; the wild
dogs of Australia, especially, hunting in
organized bands, and exhibiting marvel
Gus skill in running down their prey.
The domestic hound performs the same
service under instruction.; and, by con-
tinucd training, it has attained grade
of excellence ii anything superior to that
of the wild animals, whose wonderful
instinct is alone the inst!gator Of their
actions.
The popularity of these animals, as
has been suggested, is that they hunt in
packs; and, curiously enough, among
certain aquatic and marine forms VIC
find many similar cases. The true hounds
of the ocean are the fishes well known on
the English coast as smooth hounds,
while the species on our shores are called
dog-tish, from the fact that when caught
they utter series OF croaks, that is called
barking by the fishermen.
The dog-fsh are sm. IL sharks, from
two to three and half feet in length,
extremely fcrocious. They travel in large
packs, exactly like the hounds of the
shore, and their numbers and their effect
upon the fisheries are, perhaps, little sus-
pcctcd by those not familiar with them.
While these ocean hounds arc seen in
vast hor(les on cur own shores, they arc
not to be compared with those that ap-
pear suddenly and without warning in
English waters, and bay ten miles wide
has been observed almost completely
packed with dog-fsh, representing un-
numbered millions.
The question of the food supply of such
q vast body of living creatures is
serious one to the fishermen, as the edible
fish are either devoured or driven away
by them.
1t was my good fortune, some years
ago, to witness the arrival of the dog.
fish on the Maine coast. 1t was during
the month of August. Every day the
fishermen had been bringing in large
catches of hakc, cod, and haddock from
the grounds about ten miles off shore,
and the business was prosperous in the
extreme.
we'll remember being out myself with
crew, and with trawl and line catches
were made that tested to the utmost the
capacity of the boats.
This was on Monday. Tuesday even
ing I strollcd down to the little inlet to
watch the boats come in. One by one
the boats under full sail glided in, not so
low down as usual. Investigation showed
that they were empty. In answer to my
inquiry, the reply was: "Dog. fish,"
This meant that the sea-hounds were
on the scent, and had come in from the
unknown region where they spent the
winter, and that the fishing was over for
the time being. Not single edible fish
was brought in, and the loss OF hundreds
of dollars was entailed upon the fisher
men through hooks bitten off by the fe-
ferocious creatures that had charged upon
the lines, some of which were mile long,
and bore perhaps one thousand hooks,
and which they had severed as though
the lines had been thread.
1t was a gloomy outlook for the fisher
men, and the next day complete change
of outfit was made. Wire was above par
for ganging hooks; the village church
stove was rendered useless, as some one
borrowed the wire that supported the
pipe, and two days later the dogs had
''sct in," as an old Manner expressed it,
all the fishermen were dog fishing.
The entire bay was alive with the
savage hounds, that bit at every available
object. AS soon as line was dropped
over, it was seized, and with jerk the
croaking, barking dog-fsh was swung
into the boat.
have often held by the line twelve
or.thirtcen-foot man-eater in the South
while it was towing my boat, and seen
over the side half-a-dozen others follow
ing it along as if waiting for the moment
when their comrade in the tolls should,
by sudden turn, land me in their midst;
but think never experienced the same
disagreeable sensation us looking down
into the clear water off the Maine coast
and watching these hounds, so active and
ready to rush at the first object that fell
over.
They were desperate with hunger: a
fact which l proved by opening large
number, in no case finding anything in
their stomachs. They hung about the
boats, bit at the oars, and some of the
sails that had been dragged overheard
were rent and torn by their sharp teeth,
and such we're their numbers that the
men had but to stand in the boats and
harpoon them as they appeared.
For weeks the dories came and loaded
to the waters edge with these scaven-
gers. The livcrs were sold at a cent
apiece to be tried out into oil, while the
farmers oamc from far and near and car
ricd off the bodies TO use as dressing for
the soil.
Farther up the coast large buildings
can be seen bearing the sign, "Dog- fish
bought and sold," or more commonly,
"D0g-fsh factory" There are firms who
encourage the capture of the dog fish,
buy them by the thousand, and convert
them into guano.
rrlo f,.on;t, of tbnco 20 40 ,1,, of